


Second Chance

by inabodycastofglass



Series: Old works [15]
Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 09:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7971076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inabodycastofglass/pseuds/inabodycastofglass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I can what?”</p><p>The tall figure standing before her was silent for another moment before her head was filled with a loud, deep voice. “You can save him.”</p><p>“Him?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

> I still may continue this. We'll see.

“I can what?”

The tall figure standing before her was silent for another moment before her head was filled with a loud, deep voice. “You can save him.”

“Him?”

The figure didn’t move. But Natalia could feel it growing closer, towering over her, pulling her to it. To him. It was a him. Only a him could be this overbearing, this… big. He stood at least a foot and a half taller than her. Was he even human? She was having a hard time breathing.

“Luke… Asch…”

She looked up at him, noticing his hand held out to her, nearly touching her face. She really had walked over to him. Her choice was already made before she even knew what it was. She reached out and took his hand. It was calloused, just like Asch’s was. He was no stranger to a weapon. Was he the Grim Reaper? It was his life for hers, wasn’t it? That was okay. If Asch lived, he would be king, one way or another. So her kingdom would be fine under his rule. Aside from that, she had no other qualms with dying.

She was engulfed in light, so warm. So hot. She felt like she had jumped into a fire pit. She wanted to scream, but the moment she opened her mouth all the air in her lungs was swept away. She couldn’t catch her breath. So this was how she was going to die. That was fine. Asch was probably in more pain. So much pain.

And suddenly there was nothing. No pain. No white light. She thought for a moment she was dead, that this was the after life, whatever that was. But that wasn’t it. She saw her friends standing in front of her. Tear, Jade, Guy, Anise and-

“Luke!” She ran up to him, pulling him into a hug. Yes, he was really there. She felt him. He was there, with his short hair, and his green eyes, and his bare stomach. How many times had she yelled at him for wearing that half shirt? She never never thought she'd miss it so much. “You are alive.” She reached back and touched his face, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. The other started patting his shoulder and chest. He was alive.

He grabbed her wrists and pushed them back to her. “Natalia. What are you doing?”

“I'm sorry. I just-” She looked around. Everyone was staring at her, confused, worried. Even jade looked confused. She looked down and saw her white and blue traveling tunic. Her traveling tunic. It had been a year since she had worn this. Did that mean?

“I… It is nothing. I just had a frightening thought. Where is Asch?”

Everyone looked away slowly, one after another. Finally Luke was the only one staring at her. “We don’t know. Natalia, are you okay.”

“Yes. I am fine. Let us continue.” She marched along the path they were on before. She recognized this place now. Hod. She didn’t have to sort through any memories to figure out what she needed to do. Asch was going to die soon. But she would stop that. All she needed to do was dive in after Luke when he fell.

The chance came no sooner than she had thought it. Before she had just stood there dumbly as the ground opened up underneath him. But this time she had jumped before the hole was completely formed, falling headfirst just after him.

The landing was painful. In books the girl would land on top of the guy, but in real life she landed beside him, in her own heap. When she stood up, she felt her leg give in under her. She looked down and saw blood. And it hurt. Not nearly as much as she had expected. Like it had gone numb. Had she broken it? There was a possibility.

“Natalia?”

She looked up. Asch stared at her, his pupils dilated and dripping with sweat. She supposed it would be a shock to see two people falling from the ceiling right in front of you. But he only seemed shocked to see her. Had he expected Luke?

“Asch.” She tried to run toward him, but a pain was shot through her body from her knee, into her neck. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t find her voice. She had never broken a bone before. She hadn’t realized it could be this painful.

She felt someone pulling her arms and she tried to move with them. She couldn’t tell what was going on. Everything was turning black. When the world stopped moving she heard a voice. No. Voices. Talking to each other.

“Whoever wins….”

“… Fighting you….”

“… Will do it, damnit!”

And then there was nothing.

When she was touched again, lifted, her eyes snapped open. For a moment she couldn’t tell who had a hold of her and who was on the ground. But her memories worked faster than her mind.

“Asch…” She looked at the figure standing away from her. “Asch…!”

He looked at them, shook his head, and turned away.

“Asch!” She struggled in Luke’s arms, tried to push him away, to get to Asch. “Asch! No! Asch!”

She pushed on Luke’s face and he dropped her. When she hit the ground her her knee bounced off of it, sending a jilt of white hot pain through her body. She screamed. Her vision was going back again.

She tried to speak again, to call out to Asch. But she couldn’t breath. She gasped, trying to form his name. Luke was grasping at her again, but she pushed him away. “Need…” She gasped, pulling in as much air as she could, to push out even one more word. “Heal…!”

“You don’t have the strength-“

She pushed at him again, nearly falling out of his arms. She didn’t think she could take another crash, but she knew Asch couldn’t take being whatever was happening.

She pulled herself toward him by her arms, letting her leg drag behind her. She couldn’t see, her vision was blurring fast. Even now Asch was becoming nothing more than a red and black blur.

When she thought she was close to him she reached out her hand. She could feel it shaking. Her entire body was shaking. She couldn’t keep herself steady. Even when she said his name her voice shook.

Someone grasped her hand. Asch. She would recognize his warmth anywhere. She pushed herself up and reached her other hand toward him, placing it on his body. It didn’t matter where. She could still heal him. She could save him. He could live.

As soon as she caught sight of that light blue, it was trapped by black, leaving just a faint outline of him. But it would not be the last.

Her pain was gone, and her body shocked itself awake. “Asch!” She sat up, hitting her head on Luke’s. She didn’t respond, couldn’t respond. She grabbed the front of his coat in her fists, pulling him toward her. “Is he okay? Tell me he's alive!”

He stared at her for a long while, not saying anything. He didn’t have to. She could see it in the way his eyes teared up, the way he looked so guilty. But she wouldn’t believe it. She healed Asch! He had no reason to die! “Tell me he's alive, Luke! Tell me!”

Jade grabbed her arms and pushed her to the ground. But she kept her eyes on Luke, who just looked away. No. No, she wouldn’t believe it. She came back to save him. She had to save him! “Let go of me, Jade! Let go!” She tried to squirm free of his grasp the way she did Luke’s. “I ORDER YOU TO LET ME GO!”

“I am afraid, Princess, you do not have that right out here.”

She stopped. Her body fell limp and she just stared at the sky, past everyone. He had to be alive. He had to. Her throat hurt. Everything hurt. Her body hurt. Her chest hurt. Her soul hurt. He'd died again. Asch, the man she loved, the man she was born to love, was dead, again. She came back to save him. she had to save him. Why couldn’t she save him?

She pressed her palms to her eyes and cried, screamed his name. Could anyone else’s heart break the way hers did, it would have. Were that even possible, it would. He was dead. He was dead. He was dead. And there was nothing she could do about it now.


End file.
